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I think what could hurt Trump on the tax story front is the fact that he somehow managed to lose nearly a billion dollars in one year in a good economy nationally (though not so much in NJ). If Clinton can take Trump's surrogates words from this weekend (Christie and Gulliani were both spinning this as a story that suggested Trump was a "genius") and ask "how does a genius lose a billion dollars in a year?" she might be onto something.
Gordon Shumway wrote: I think what could hurt Trump on the tax story front is the fact that he somehow managed to lose nearly a billion dollars in one year in a good economy nationally (though not so much in NJ). If Clinton can take Trump's surrogates words from this weekend (Christie and Gulliani were both spinning this as a story that suggested Trump was a "genius") and ask "how does a genius lose a billion dollars in a year?" she might be onto something.
Meh... at least he takes risks... (until he files for bankruptcy )
IMO, there are other things more worthy to ding Trump than this. I don't think the public, in general, really cares about poltician's tax filings. (unless there some illegal activities of course).
Gordon Shumway wrote: I think what could hurt Trump on the tax story front is the fact that he somehow managed to lose nearly a billion dollars in one year in a good economy nationally (though not so much in NJ). If Clinton can take Trump's surrogates words from this weekend (Christie and Gulliani were both spinning this as a story that suggested Trump was a "genius") and ask "how does a genius lose a billion dollars in a year?" she might be onto something.
Meh... at least he takes risks... (until he files for bankruptcy )
IMO, there are other things more worthy to ding Trump than this. I don't think the public, in general, really cares about poltician's tax filings. (unless there some illegal activities of course).
i think they care a lot when a supposedly super rich guy who brags about his wealth turns out never to have paid income taxes, when they are. care like want to over turn his limo and tar and feather him level care.
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
Gordon Shumway wrote: I think what could hurt Trump on the tax story front is the fact that he somehow managed to lose nearly a billion dollars in one year in a good economy nationally (though not so much in NJ). If Clinton can take Trump's surrogates words from this weekend (Christie and Gulliani were both spinning this as a story that suggested Trump was a "genius") and ask "how does a genius lose a billion dollars in a year?" she might be onto something.
Meh... at least he takes risks... (until he files for bankruptcy )
IMO, there are other things more worthy to ding Trump than this. I don't think the public, in general, really cares about poltician's tax filings. (unless there some illegal activities of course).
jmurph wrote: I would think the New York AG's office ordering the Trump Foundation to cease collection activities would be more troubling. The bank thing seems like a nonstarter.
His comments to the veteran's group, while inarticulate, have to be taken grossly out of context to be viewed as an insult. And he has repeatedly shown he knows how to insult.
Gordon Shumway wrote: I think what could hurt Trump on the tax story front is the fact that he somehow managed to lose nearly a billion dollars in one year in a good economy nationally (though not so much in NJ). If Clinton can take Trump's surrogates words from this weekend (Christie and Gulliani were both spinning this as a story that suggested Trump was a "genius") and ask "how does a genius lose a billion dollars in a year?" she might be onto something.
Meh... at least he takes risks... (until he files for bankruptcy )
IMO, there are other things more worthy to ding Trump than this. I don't think the public, in general, really cares about poltician's tax filings. (unless there some illegal activities of course).
i think they care a lot when a supposedly super rich guy who brags about his wealth turns out never to have paid income taxes, when they are. care like want to over turn his limo and tar and feather him level care.
Nah.
Most people do whatever they can to pay as little taxes as possible. I think everyone can agree that we'd all be fools if we don't minimize our tax liabilities.
We'll get riled up if there's some illegal gak going on... but, if strangely, most people don't get all that riled up when the rich (or corporations) legally pays little or no federal taxes. (see GE or the NYT recently).
Trump can't articulate this (and Romney should've in '12)... but, this can be used as an argument of how jacked up the tax code is now. If you have an army of lawyers and enough money, you can legally pay little to no taxes.
It's baffling that this isn't a clarion call to change the tax code.
jmurph wrote: I would think the New York AG's office ordering the Trump Foundation to cease collection activities would be more troubling. The bank thing seems like a nonstarter.
His comments to the veteran's group, while inarticulate, have to be taken grossly out of context to be viewed as an insult. And he has repeatedly shown he knows how to insult.
jmurph wrote: I would think the New York AG's office ordering the Trump Foundation to cease collection activities would be more troubling. The bank thing seems like a nonstarter.
His comments to the veteran's group, while inarticulate, have to be taken grossly out of context to be viewed as an insult. And he has repeatedly shown he knows how to insult.
In the end, the absurdity of it all is that Clinton has never been seriously found to be doing anything wrong as far as the charities that bare the the family name, just conspiratorizing theories that can't even keep straight which Clinton family charity they're talking about. Meanwhile Trump has not only visibly committed fraud, but it's been confirmed by outside inquiry, requires no conspiracy just idiocy, and is part on an ever widening scrutiny of Trump's financial actions that seem to just keep getting worse.
Yet, here we are still playing the "the other side is just as bad game" all the same, even though there is zero evidence the other side is anywhere as bad as the other.,
jmurph wrote: I would think the New York AG's office ordering the Trump Foundation to cease collection activities would be more troubling. The bank thing seems like a nonstarter.
His comments to the veteran's group, while inarticulate, have to be taken grossly out of context to be viewed as an insult. And he has repeatedly shown he knows how to insult.
jmurph wrote: I would think the New York AG's office ordering the Trump Foundation to cease collection activities would be more troubling. The bank thing seems like a nonstarter.
His comments to the veteran's group, while inarticulate, have to be taken grossly out of context to be viewed as an insult. And he has repeatedly shown he knows how to insult.
In the end, the absurdity of it all is that Clinton has never been seriously found to be doing anything wrong as far as the charities that bare the the family name, just conspiratorizing theories that can't even keep straight which Clinton family charity they're talking about. Meanwhile Trump has not only visibly committed fraud, but it's been confirmed by outside inquiry, requires no conspiracy just idiocy, and is part on an ever widening scrutiny of Trump's financial actions that seem to just keep getting worse.
Yet, here we are still playing the "the other side is just as bad game" all the same, even though there is zero evidence the other side is anywhere as bad as the other.,
Zero evidence?
Nah... people just want to spend over $100 million dollars to hear the Clinton speak.
Surely there's no expection of quid pro quo at all right?
I mean, whenever they speak, everyone's D&D Intelligence attributes goes on on a D3... right?
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/10/03 19:53:43
jmurph wrote: I would think the New York AG's office ordering the Trump Foundation to cease collection activities would be more troubling. The bank thing seems like a nonstarter.
His comments to the veteran's group, while inarticulate, have to be taken grossly out of context to be viewed as an insult. And he has repeatedly shown he knows how to insult.
Gordon Shumway wrote: I think what could hurt Trump on the tax story front is the fact that he somehow managed to lose nearly a billion dollars in one year in a good economy nationally (though not so much in NJ). If Clinton can take Trump's surrogates words from this weekend (Christie and Gulliani were both spinning this as a story that suggested Trump was a "genius") and ask "how does a genius lose a billion dollars in a year?" she might be onto something.
Meh... at least he takes risks... (until he files for bankruptcy )
IMO, there are other things more worthy to ding Trump than this. I don't think the public, in general, really cares about poltician's tax filings. (unless there some illegal activities of course).
i think they care a lot when a supposedly super rich guy who brags about his wealth turns out never to have paid income taxes, when they are. care like want to over turn his limo and tar and feather him level care.
Nah.
Most people do whatever they can to pay as little taxes as possible. I think everyone can agree that we'd all be fools if we don't minimize our tax liabilities.
We'll get riled up if there's some illegal gak going on... but, if strangely, most people don't get all that riled up when the rich (or corporations) legally pays little or no federal taxes. (see GE or the NYT recently).
Trump can't articulate this (and Romney should've in '12)... but, this can be used as an argument of how jacked up the tax code is now. If you have an army of lawyers and enough money, you can legally pay little to no taxes.
It's baffling that this isn't a clarion call to change the tax code.
jmurph wrote: I would think the New York AG's office ordering the Trump Foundation to cease collection activities would be more troubling. The bank thing seems like a nonstarter.
His comments to the veteran's group, while inarticulate, have to be taken grossly out of context to be viewed as an insult. And he has repeatedly shown he knows how to insult.
I mean a charity that acted as a conduit for pay to pay scheme during Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State.
Most "people" don't have the ability to pay off the people makeing the law to make what they do legal.
Most "people" don't have tax breaks that allow them to carry forward a loss for YEARS. They get fired and get no tax break.
Most "people" look, see they are paying more in absolute dollars than a billionaire, and think "mmm something's slightly amiss here"
-I know I did when I did personal banking.
jmurph wrote: I would think the New York AG's office ordering the Trump Foundation to cease collection activities would be more troubling. The bank thing seems like a nonstarter.
His comments to the veteran's group, while inarticulate, have to be taken grossly out of context to be viewed as an insult. And he has repeatedly shown he knows how to insult.
In the end, the absurdity of it all is that Clinton has never been seriously found to be doing anything wrong as far as the charities that bare the the family name, just conspiratorizing theories that can't even keep straight which Clinton family charity they're talking about. Meanwhile Trump has not only visibly committed fraud, but it's been confirmed by outside inquiry, requires no conspiracy just idiocy, and is part on an ever widening scrutiny of Trump's financial actions that seem to just keep getting worse.
Yet, here we are still playing the "the other side is just as bad game" all the same, even though there is zero evidence the other side is anywhere as bad as the other.,
Zero evidence?
Nah... people just want to spend over $100 million dollars to hear the Clinton speak.
Surely there's no expection of quid pro quo at all right?
I mean, whenever they speak, everyone's D&D Intelligence attributes goes on on a D3... right?
There's been zero noted about the FOundation being illegal. Its fully audited, and does in fact make charitable second level donations. Whether its a slush fund for Clinton employees is a different matter, but its compeltely above board and has similar donation rates as many charities with massive overheads. So..it sucks too but is not actively illegal.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/10/03 19:57:00
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
A full audit has been doing on the Foundation more than once, and the worst that came out of it was (maybe) unethical, but not illegal, actions concerning family members and family friends.
It's not remotely on par with the seemingly ever widening fraud that is investigations into Trump.
Nah... people just want to spend over $100 million dollars to hear the Clinton speak.
She's Hillary Clinton. Honestly she could probably make twice that
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Frazzled wrote: Most "people" don't have the ability to pay off the people makeing the law to make what they do legal.
Most "people" don't have tax breaks that allow them to carry forward a loss for YEARS. They get fired and get no tax break.
Most "people" look, see they are paying more in absolute dollars than a billionaire, and think "mmm something's slightly amiss here"
-I know I did when I did personal banking.
Should save that one Frazzie. It's pretty good
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2016/10/03 20:01:21
A full audit has been doing on the Foundation more than once, and the worst that came out of it was (maybe) unethical, but not illegal, actions concerning family members and family friends.
It's not remotely on par with the seemingly ever widening fraud that is investigations into Trump.
Do you think you can hold your nose for an hour and watch this movie?
Nah... people just want to spend over $100 million dollars to hear the Clinton speak.
She's Hillary Clinton. Honestly she could probably make twice that
It's a sad state... dontcha think?
The Clintons were government employees for over 30 years... post Bill Clinton Administration, they've made multiple millions on the basis of what exactly?
What is it that they offer that allows them to make a feth ton of money?
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2016/10/03 20:09:42
Ouze wrote: That feeling where Frazzled has become the voice of reason
Thats about the time when you find yourself mumbling "The Great Wienie protects. The Great Wienie protects...."
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
jmurph wrote: I would think the New York AG's office ordering the Trump Foundation to cease collection activities would be more troubling. The bank thing seems like a nonstarter.
His comments to the veteran's group, while inarticulate, have to be taken grossly out of context to be viewed as an insult. And he has repeatedly shown he knows how to insult.
Good for NY AG...
Now do the Clinton Foundation.
I am guessing she filed her required annual audit forms.
There’s no doubt that Donald Trump has said many things that would have been political suicide for any other Republican candidate. And almost every time he made one of these shocking statements, political analysts on both the left and the right predicted that he’d lose supporters because of it. But as we have clearly seen over the past year, they were dead wrong every time. Trump appears to be almost totally bulletproof.
The only thing that might be more perplexing than the psychology of Donald Trump is the psychology of his supporters. In their eyes, The Donald can do no wrong. Even Trump himself seems to be astonished by this phenomenon. "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK? It's, like, incredible."
Senator John McCain, who has been a regular target for Trump during his campaign, has a simple explanation for his unwavering support. “What he did was he fired up the crazies.”
While the former Republican presidential nominee may be on to something, he doesn’t exactly provide a very satisfying scientific explanation. So how exactly are Trump loyalists psychologically or neurologically different from everyone else? What is going on in their brains that makes them so blindly devoted?
1. The Dunning-Kruger Effect
Some believe that many of those who support Donald Trump do so because of ignorance — basically they are under-informed or misinformed about the issues at hand. When Trump tells them that crime is skyrocketing in the United States, or that the economy is the worst it’s ever been, they simply take his word for it.
The seemingly obvious solution would be to try to reach those people through political ads, expert opinions, and logical arguments that educate with facts. Except none of those things seem to be swaying any Trump supporters from his side, despite great efforts to deliver this information to them directly.
The Dunning-Kruger effect explains that the problem isn’t just that they are misinformed; it’s that they are completely unaware that they are misinformed. This creates a double burden.
Studies have shown that people who lack expertise in some area of knowledge often have a cognitive bias that prevents them from realizing that they lack expertise. As psychologist David Dunning puts it in an op-ed for Politico, “The knowledge and intelligence that are required to be good at a task are often the same qualities needed to recognize that one is not good at that task — and if one lacks such knowledge and intelligence, one remains ignorant that one is not good at the task. This includes political judgment.” Essentially, they’re not smart enough to realize they’re dumb.
And if one is under the illusion that they have sufficient or even superior knowledge, then they have no reason to defer to anyone else’s judgment. This helps explain why even nonpartisan experts — like military generals and Independent former Mayor of New York/billionaire CEO Michael Bloomberg — as well as some respected Republican politicians, don’t seem to be able to say anything that can change the minds of loyal Trump followers.
Out of immense frustration, some of us may feel the urge to shake a Trump supporter and say, “Hey! Don’t you realize that he’s an idiot?!” No. They don’t. That may be hard to fathom, but that’s the nature of the Dunning-Kruger effect — one’s ignorance is completely invisible to them.
2. Hypersensitivity to Threat
Science has unequivocally shown that the conservative brain has an exaggerated fear response when faced with stimuli that may be perceived as threatening. A 2008 study in the journal Science found that conservatives have a stronger physiological reaction to startling noises and graphic images compared to liberals. A brain-imaging study published in Current Biology revealed that those who lean right politically tend to have a larger amygdala — a structure that is electrically active during states of fear and anxiety. And a 2014 fMRI study found that it is possible to predict whether someone is a liberal or conservative simply by looking at their brain activity while they view threatening or disgusting images, such as mutilated bodies. Specifically, the brains of self-identified conservatives generated more activity overall in response to the disturbing images.
So how does this help explain the unbridled loyalty of Trump supporters? These brain responses are automatic, and not influenced by logic or reason. As long as Trump continues his fear mongering by constantly portraying Muslims and Mexican immigrants as imminent dangers, many conservative brains will involuntarily light up like light bulbs being controlled by a switch. Fear keeps his followers energized and focused on safety. And when you think you’ve found your protector, you become less concerned with remarks that would normally be seen as highly offensive.
3. Terror Management Theory
A well-supported theory from social psychology, called Terror Management Theory, explains why Trump’s fear mongering is doubly effective.
The theory is based on the fact that humans have a unique awareness of their own mortality. The inevitably of one’s death creates existential terror and anxiety that is always residing below the surface. In order to manage this terror, humans adopt cultural worldviews — like religions, political ideologies, and national identities — that act as a buffer by instilling life with meaning and value.
Terror Management Theory predicts that when people are reminded of their own mortality, which happens with fear mongering, they will more strongly defend those who share their worldviews and national or ethnic identity, and act out more aggressively towards those who do not. Hundreds of studies have confirmed this hypothesis, and some have specifically shown that triggering thoughts of death tends to shift people towards the right.
Not only do death reminders increase nationalism, they influence actual voting habits in favor of more conservative presidential candidates. And more disturbingly, in a study with American students, scientists found that making mortality salient increased support for extreme military interventions by American forces that could kill thousands of civilians overseas. Interestingly, the effect was present only in conservatives, which can likely be attributed to their heightened fear response.
By constantly emphasizing existential threat, Trump creates a psychological condition that makes the brain respond positively rather than negatively to bigoted statements and divisive rhetoric. Liberals and Independents who have been puzzled over why Trump hasn’t lost supporters after such highly offensive comments need look no further than Terror Management Theory.
4. High Attentional Engagement
According to a recent study that monitored brain activity while participants watched 40 minutes of political ads and debate clips from the presidential candidates, Donald Trump is unique in his ability to keep the brain engaged. While Hillary Clinton could only hold attention for so long, Trump kept both attention and emotional arousal high throughout the viewing session. This pattern of activity was seen even when Trump made remarks that individuals didn’t necessarily agree with. His showmanship and simple messages clearly resonate at a visceral level.
Essentially, the loyalty of Trump supporters may in part be explained by America’s addiction with entertainment and reality TV. To some, it doesn’t matter what Trump actually says because he’s so amusing to watch. With Donald, you are always left wondering what outrageous thing he is going to say or do next. He keeps us on the edge of our seat, and for that reason, some Trump supporters will forgive anything he says. They are happy as long as they are kept entertained.
Of course these explanations do not apply to all Trump supporters. In fact, some are likely intelligent people who know better, but are supporting Trump to be rebellious or to introduce chaos into the system. They may have such distaste for the establishment and Hillary Clinton that their vote for Trump is a symbolic middle finger directed at Washington.
So what can we do to potentially change the minds of Trump loyalists before voting day in November? As a cognitive neuroscientist, it grieves me to say that there may be nothing we can do. The overwhelming majority of these people may be beyond reach, at least in the short term. The best we can do is to motivate everyone else to get out to the booths and check the box that doesn’t belong to a narcissistic nationalist who has the potential to damage the nation beyond repair.
I am told that in great capitalist society, things are worth a combination of supply and demand factors. There's only 1 Hillary Clinton, and apparently a lot of people want to hear her blabber on.
What is it that they offer that allows them to make a feth ton of money?
In a world where gossip about celebrities is a billion dollar industry, you're wondering how a family that once lived in the White House for 8 years and continues to be politically active is generating hundreds of millions of dollars?
What is it that they offer that allows them to make a feth ton of money?
Notoriety. It's the same thing that keeps people like the Kardashians relevant.
Over $100 million dollars worth personally? Their foundation drew more than $2 Billions?
Sure... it's because they're popular.
Yes, exactly. An insanely popular ex-president does tend to command respect and admiration.
And you keep acting like this money goes to them. It's a charity (a very highly rated charity at that). But of course facts don't matter, because Clinton is involved.
Homosexuality is the #1 cause of gay marriage.
kronk wrote: Every pizza is a personal sized pizza if you try hard enough and believe in yourself.
sebster wrote: Yes, indeed. What a terrible piece of cultural imperialism it is for me to say that a country shouldn't murder its own citizens
BaronIveagh wrote: Basically they went from a carrot and stick to a smaller carrot and flanged mace.
There’s no doubt that Donald Trump has said many things that would have been political suicide for any other Republican candidate. And almost every time he made one of these shocking statements, political analysts on both the left and the right predicted that he’d lose supporters because of it. But as we have clearly seen over the past year, they were dead wrong every time. Trump appears to be almost totally bulletproof.
The only thing that might be more perplexing than the psychology of Donald Trump is the psychology of his supporters. In their eyes, The Donald can do no wrong. Even Trump himself seems to be astonished by this phenomenon. "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK? It's, like, incredible."
Senator John McCain, who has been a regular target for Trump during his campaign, has a simple explanation for his unwavering support. “What he did was he fired up the crazies.”
While the former Republican presidential nominee may be on to something, he doesn’t exactly provide a very satisfying scientific explanation. So how exactly are Trump loyalists psychologically or neurologically different from everyone else? What is going on in their brains that makes them so blindly devoted?
1. The Dunning-Kruger Effect
Some believe that many of those who support Donald Trump do so because of ignorance — basically they are under-informed or misinformed about the issues at hand. When Trump tells them that crime is skyrocketing in the United States, or that the economy is the worst it’s ever been, they simply take his word for it.
The seemingly obvious solution would be to try to reach those people through political ads, expert opinions, and logical arguments that educate with facts. Except none of those things seem to be swaying any Trump supporters from his side, despite great efforts to deliver this information to them directly.
The Dunning-Kruger effect explains that the problem isn’t just that they are misinformed; it’s that they are completely unaware that they are misinformed. This creates a double burden.
Studies have shown that people who lack expertise in some area of knowledge often have a cognitive bias that prevents them from realizing that they lack expertise. As psychologist David Dunning puts it in an op-ed for Politico, “The knowledge and intelligence that are required to be good at a task are often the same qualities needed to recognize that one is not good at that task — and if one lacks such knowledge and intelligence, one remains ignorant that one is not good at the task. This includes political judgment.” Essentially, they’re not smart enough to realize they’re dumb.
And if one is under the illusion that they have sufficient or even superior knowledge, then they have no reason to defer to anyone else’s judgment. This helps explain why even nonpartisan experts — like military generals and Independent former Mayor of New York/billionaire CEO Michael Bloomberg — as well as some respected Republican politicians, don’t seem to be able to say anything that can change the minds of loyal Trump followers.
Out of immense frustration, some of us may feel the urge to shake a Trump supporter and say, “Hey! Don’t you realize that he’s an idiot?!” No. They don’t. That may be hard to fathom, but that’s the nature of the Dunning-Kruger effect — one’s ignorance is completely invisible to them.
2. Hypersensitivity to Threat
Science has unequivocally shown that the conservative brain has an exaggerated fear response when faced with stimuli that may be perceived as threatening. A 2008 study in the journal Science found that conservatives have a stronger physiological reaction to startling noises and graphic images compared to liberals. A brain-imaging study published in Current Biology revealed that those who lean right politically tend to have a larger amygdala — a structure that is electrically active during states of fear and anxiety. And a 2014 fMRI study found that it is possible to predict whether someone is a liberal or conservative simply by looking at their brain activity while they view threatening or disgusting images, such as mutilated bodies. Specifically, the brains of self-identified conservatives generated more activity overall in response to the disturbing images.
So how does this help explain the unbridled loyalty of Trump supporters? These brain responses are automatic, and not influenced by logic or reason. As long as Trump continues his fear mongering by constantly portraying Muslims and Mexican immigrants as imminent dangers, many conservative brains will involuntarily light up like light bulbs being controlled by a switch. Fear keeps his followers energized and focused on safety. And when you think you’ve found your protector, you become less concerned with remarks that would normally be seen as highly offensive.
3. Terror Management Theory
A well-supported theory from social psychology, called Terror Management Theory, explains why Trump’s fear mongering is doubly effective.
The theory is based on the fact that humans have a unique awareness of their own mortality. The inevitably of one’s death creates existential terror and anxiety that is always residing below the surface. In order to manage this terror, humans adopt cultural worldviews — like religions, political ideologies, and national identities — that act as a buffer by instilling life with meaning and value.
Terror Management Theory predicts that when people are reminded of their own mortality, which happens with fear mongering, they will more strongly defend those who share their worldviews and national or ethnic identity, and act out more aggressively towards those who do not. Hundreds of studies have confirmed this hypothesis, and some have specifically shown that triggering thoughts of death tends to shift people towards the right.
Not only do death reminders increase nationalism, they influence actual voting habits in favor of more conservative presidential candidates. And more disturbingly, in a study with American students, scientists found that making mortality salient increased support for extreme military interventions by American forces that could kill thousands of civilians overseas. Interestingly, the effect was present only in conservatives, which can likely be attributed to their heightened fear response.
By constantly emphasizing existential threat, Trump creates a psychological condition that makes the brain respond positively rather than negatively to bigoted statements and divisive rhetoric. Liberals and Independents who have been puzzled over why Trump hasn’t lost supporters after such highly offensive comments need look no further than Terror Management Theory.
4. High Attentional Engagement
According to a recent study that monitored brain activity while participants watched 40 minutes of political ads and debate clips from the presidential candidates, Donald Trump is unique in his ability to keep the brain engaged. While Hillary Clinton could only hold attention for so long, Trump kept both attention and emotional arousal high throughout the viewing session. This pattern of activity was seen even when Trump made remarks that individuals didn’t necessarily agree with. His showmanship and simple messages clearly resonate at a visceral level.
Essentially, the loyalty of Trump supporters may in part be explained by America’s addiction with entertainment and reality TV. To some, it doesn’t matter what Trump actually says because he’s so amusing to watch. With Donald, you are always left wondering what outrageous thing he is going to say or do next. He keeps us on the edge of our seat, and for that reason, some Trump supporters will forgive anything he says. They are happy as long as they are kept entertained.
Of course these explanations do not apply to all Trump supporters. In fact, some are likely intelligent people who know better, but are supporting Trump to be rebellious or to introduce chaos into the system. They may have such distaste for the establishment and Hillary Clinton that their vote for Trump is a symbolic middle finger directed at Washington.
So what can we do to potentially change the minds of Trump loyalists before voting day in November? As a cognitive neuroscientist, it grieves me to say that there may be nothing we can do. The overwhelming majority of these people may be beyond reach, at least in the short term. The best we can do is to motivate everyone else to get out to the booths and check the box that doesn’t belong to a narcissistic nationalist who has the potential to damage the nation beyond repair.
I find articles insulting the other party, demeaning them or somehow reflecting that they must have a mental defect to be droll.
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
Or alternatively its statements not supported by facts not in evidence your honor. I get the same arguments from the other side. Admittedly with HRC and DT running they are completely interchangeable now.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/10/03 20:50:44
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
Or alternatively its statements not supported by facts not in evidence your honor.
I get the same arguments from the other side. Admittedly with HRC and DT running they are completely interchangeable now.
I must just be seeing double tonight, there were two posts earlier.
But speaking of facts like "Current Biology revealed that those who lean right politically tend to have a larger amygdala" isn't a insult or demeaning, it's a fact. It's not droll, It's just the reality of it.
Or alternatively its statements not supported by facts not in evidence your honor.
I get the same arguments from the other side. Admittedly with HRC and DT running they are completely interchangeable now.
I must just be seeing double tonight, there were two posts earlier.
ON that note, I discovered asomething called XO quality brandy. Nice!
But speaking of facts like "Current Biology revealed that those who lean right politically tend to have a larger amygdala" isn't a insult or demeaning, it's a fact. It's not droll, It's just the reality of it.
Its a statement without proof.
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
Or alternatively its statements not supported by facts not in evidence your honor.
I get the same arguments from the other side. Admittedly with HRC and DT running they are completely interchangeable now.
I must just be seeing double tonight, there were two posts earlier.
But speaking of facts like "Current Biology revealed that those who lean right politically tend to have a larger amygdala" isn't a insult or demeaning, it's a fact. It's not droll, It's just the reality of it.
No, it's bad pseudo science. Trying to predict political leanings based on biochemistry or neural structures is sketchy at best and more "pop science" clickbait than legitimate research.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/10/03 21:41:14
Or alternatively its statements not supported by facts not in evidence your honor.
I get the same arguments from the other side. Admittedly with HRC and DT running they are completely interchangeable now.
I must just be seeing double tonight, there were two posts earlier.
ON that note, I discovered asomething called XO quality brandy. Nice!
But speaking of facts like "Current Biology revealed that those who lean right politically tend to have a larger amygdala" isn't a insult or demeaning, it's a fact. It's not droll, It's just the reality of it.
Or alternatively its statements not supported by facts not in evidence your honor.
I get the same arguments from the other side. Admittedly with HRC and DT running they are completely interchangeable now.
I must just be seeing double tonight, there were two posts earlier.
ON that note, I discovered asomething called XO quality brandy. Nice!
But speaking of facts like "Current Biology revealed that those who lean right politically tend to have a larger amygdala" isn't a insult or demeaning, it's a fact. It's not droll, It's just the reality of it.
Unless they brain scanned everyone in the US, it means what we call buppkiss.
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
)
